HTC Legend or Nexus One

[jp_m]

Hi everyone,
I'm seriously looking into getting my first android phone because i'm frustrated with my iphone 3g.
I've been shopping around and the best options I have are the HTC Legend or the Nexus One. I know that these phones are in different classes, but they're also priced significantly different as well. Here are my options:

Nexus One: can only get it off craigslist/ebay at around $700 to $750 CAD.

HTC Legend: can get a NAM unlocked for $425 CAD

Basically what I'm wondering is if the $275-$325 premium is worth it for the Nexus One.
I'd call myself an average user, don't really need to most powerful phone out there. I'm know the N1 has 2.2 and most likely will get 3.0. Legend will get 2.2 in the near future but probably not 3.0. I'd like my phone to last 2 years.

Let me know thoughts... Thanks.

p.s. if there are other phones you would like to suggest, please do so. I was looking at the Samsung Galaxy S... the only problem is it would cost me pretty much the same amount as the N1 so I don't really see the point.

 

[energie]

Legend!

 

[robo555]

One of the strong points of Android is the software available, and the constant improvements Google puts into it.

I think it's worth getting a phone that can handle future updates, i.e. one with 1GHz processor.

The extra money would get you a faster phone that allows you to take advantage of the free upgrade to Android 3.0. The Legend would be stuck on 2.2, and software will start to discontinue support for it as well.

Although I admit the Legend's aluminium case looks sweet, I ended up getting the HTC Desire because of the reason above.

 

[jp_m]

well i was thinking of getting a cheaper phone (the legend) to satisfy my curiosity for now. then when i know what i like android and i've saved up some more money, i'll make a push for a flagship phone.

i've never used an android phone or even seen one being used live, so i'm hesitant to spend $700+ for a phone that i might not like.

 

[This Green Machine]

I'd have to go with N1 as well. With a 1 GHz processor being pretty much the golden standard now a days, you'd almost be setting yourself back by getting a slower one. Blackberry is getting torn apart by putting out the Torch with only a 600ish MHz processor. Also, if getting the latest updates of OS refreshes is your thing, N1 also has the advantage there.

 

[PhoenixFx]

well i was thinking of getting a cheaper phone (the legend) to satisfy my curiosity for now. then when i know what i like android and i've saved up some more money, i'll make a push for a flagship phone.

Your strategy makes sense. Especially if you are not a power user. IMO Android 2.1 is already a very capable OS version , with flash support from 2.2 you might not even see a real need to upgrade to 3.0.

Have you looked into getting one on a contract ? usually that is the cheapest way to go.

But then again if you feel like upgrading again in a year or so, you are going to waste what you spent on the legend, but on the other hand you will get a much better handset (like 2Ghz processor with 1GB RAM, who knows..) designed especially for future versions of Android... , so it is a tough choice. And as I said a lot depends on your usage

 

[jp_m]

Your strategy makes sense. Especially if you are not a power user. IMO Android 2.1 is already a very capable OS version , with flash support from 2.2 you might not even see a real need to upgrade to 3.0.

Have you looked into getting one on a contract ? usually that is the cheapest way to go.

But then again if you feel like upgrading again in a year or so, you are going to waste what you spent on the legend, but on the other hand you will get a much better handset (like 2Ghz processor with 1GB RAM, who knows..) designed especially for future versions of Android... , so it is a tough choice. And as I said a lot depends on your usage

i'm already locked into a contract for another 15 months, so that option isn't possible.
i found a local dealer able to sell me a brand new unlocked desire for $640 so now i'm really considering that option. the only thing is i'll have to wait close to a month cause he's sold out now. but i'm figuring it has all the power of the n1, without the huge pricetag. the only downside that i see to the desire is having to wait for updates.

(i can't stand how people are taking advantage of the fact the phone is no longer available in north america and inflating prices like crazy)
what do you guys think?

 

[robo555]

I don't know whether the prices your mentioned are good deals for your region, but if you can get a HTC Desire for significantly cheaper than the N1, since they basically have identical hardware it sounds like a good choice to me.

Yeah you will probably need to wait longer for updates to come to HTC Desire than N1, but at least they should be available to the Desire. With the Legend there's basically no hope.

With the Desire, it's likely you'll be able to keep it longer because even if a 2GHz/1GB RAM phone comes out, you can still keep the Deisire 'cos it can use Android 3 (hopefully!). With the Legend, it's likely you want to upgrade sooner (and end up spending more money buying new phone), or be stuck with unsupported software.

 

[Arsene Lupin]

Really don't go with Legend. Its possible that you'll just have a bad experience and hate the android.

Why not search online? Here is an excellent price for the galaxy s:

Buy Samsung Galaxy S i9000 (8GB, SIM Free/Unlocked) Reviews

~536 US dollars. Not sure if you can beat that in the US.

 

[jp_m]

Really don't go with Legend. Its possible that you'll just have a bad experience and hate the android.

Why not search online? Here is an excellent price for the galaxy s:

Buy Samsung Galaxy S i9000 (8GB, SIM Free/Unlocked) Reviews

~536 US dollars. Not sure if you can beat that in the US.

thanks for the suggestion, but I need a NAM version phone with 850/1900Mhz 3G.

I found an htc desire that I could get for Telus for $449, then unlock it for $50... this would give me and htc desire for $500. i think i'm going for it.

i would prefer the n1, but it's just too difficult to get a NAM version at a decent price now that google shut down its store. 2-3 month old n1s are posted for more money then it would have cost me to buy it new.

 

[Arsene Lupin]

I'd certainly pick Desire over n1. Its prettier, has slightly more RAM, and I personally hated the buggy track ball on my Hero.. so I'm avoiding it in future phones.

Screw HTC Sense, its a headache for upgrades.. and honestly is way overrated. Just go for whatever is released on the n1 and run Launcher Pro on that. This made my life much easier on the Hero.

 

[jp_m]

Screw HTC Sense, its a headache for upgrades.. and honestly is way overrated. Just go for whatever is released on the n1 and run Launcher Pro on that. This made my life much easier on the Hero.

What exactly do you mean? Stick with the desire but use Launcher Pro instead of Sense? If I do that, wouldn't I still need to wait for HTC to release the updates?

 

[Arsene Lupin]

What exactly do you mean? Stick with the desire but use Launcher Pro instead of Sense? If I do that, wouldn't I still need to wait for HTC to release the updates?

No, the main point of ignoring Sense is that you don't need to wait for the official release. HTC takes a while to implement their Sense UI into the new upgrade until they release it.

So just pick any stable unofficial release and use it along with Launcher Pro. n1 and Desire are VERY similar in hardware, so people are able to port the upgrades to the Desire very quickly.

I had a friend running froyo + launcher pro on his desire for a while before the official release. It was the smoothest thing I've had my eyes on.